This invention relates to exercisers and more particularly to an exercise club adapted for use by persons of widely varying physical abilities and for use in various body positions while either sitting standing or while walking or even jogging. The device is particularly useful for exercising the upper body. As used herein exercise club and exerciser are synonymous.
In general, dumbell and barbell shaped weights have found extensive use in body training, the weights being generally characterized by a spherical dumbell or disc end weight carried and supported on a central rod or bar, which the user grips. Various lifting motions have been developed for allowing exercise of various upper body muscle groups. Dumbells and barbells are generally formed in two sizes, the small size being adapted for gripping and motion with one hand/arm and the barbell being generally adapted for gripping and movement by both arms and hands together. The former are only long enough to accommodate the grip of one hand while the latter are generally long enough to accommodate both hands when raised to a position outside the breadth of the shoulders. These conventional barbells and dumbells are not adapted for isometric exercise and are not readily portable, due to weight. Furthermore, exercise often requires supporting structures (bench rests) when the weights have been increased to the limit of the individuals capability. Such dumbells and barbells generally serve the function of bulking muscular structure rather than toning of the muscles.
Many variations of the barbell or dumbell shape have been proposed, some in the form of small clubs; those adapted for internal movement to give greater tortional resistance to turning movements and motions and incorporating a wheel from rolling against a fixed surface, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,164, issued June 22, 1973; and those relating to a rod exercise devices adapted to be put in compression by gripping.
It is evident that weighted barbells and dumbells are not adapted for isometric toning exercises, are generally not useful for exercising of the fingers or gripping of the hands as well as being unsuitable for exercise of either abdominals by isometric contraction, or the back muscles as such, although such muscle structures may be involved as a stabilizers in the usual weight lifting exercises. Of the adaptions thereof mentioned above, each fails to provide or to permit use of a complete set of useful exercises which would enable an isometric and isotonic toning of all of the upper body muscle groups and which may further be used to provide a wide variety of isotonic and stretching exercises as well. There is therefore, a need for a new and improved exerciser which will overcome the above limitations and disadvantages.